Buss Sets New Career-High But Indiana Falls to North Carolina State

Indiana junior guard Tyra Buss set a new career-high 38 points and tied the fourth-best scoring game in school history, but it wasn’t enough as North Carolina State came away victorious in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, 84-70, on Thursday night.

Buss finished just two points shy of the single game scoring record of 40 points, which was set by Karna Abram in 1987. Buss finished with over half of IU’s scoring as she went 10-for-14 from the field and 14-for-15 from the free throw line. The Mt. Carmel, Ill. native also grabbed five rebounds and passed out three assists and grabbed two steals in the loss. In addition to the career-high in points, Buss tied her career-high for most field goals in a game and tied the second most free throws in a single game.

She was joined in double figures by senior guard Alexis Gassion with 11 points. Junior forward Amanda Cahill paced IU on the glass with eight rebounds while also contributing six points, two assists and two blocks.

As a team, Indiana (4-3) shot 40.7 percent and posted its best effort from the free throw line as they went 19-for-21 (90.5 percent) Turnovers continued to plague the Hoosiers, who committed 17 on the evening and were also outrebounded for the first time this season, 41-30.

Playing behind early, Gassion gave IU its first lead of the day at 6:53 to play with a bucket in transition. The Hoosiers would stretch it into a 7-0 run and take a 9-8 lead at the first media timeout. The Wolfpack (6-2) were sparked by its own 7-0 run as Indiana didn’t hit a field goal in the final 6:19 of the first quarter to trail 19-14.

Scoring was hard to come by for the Hoosiers in the second quarter, who shot just 32 percent in the first half. They were held for just four field goals in the frame and without a basket in for a nine-minute stretch that lasted until Buss picked off the Wolfpack pass and took it coast-to-coast with seven minutes remaining. But Indiana struggled offensively heading into the half, as it made just two shots to go into the break down 46-28.

Gassion came out of the break to score back-to-back buckets to open up the second half as the Hoosiers got hot in the third quarter. It was their best quarter of the night, as IU shot 60 percent (9-for-15) as they attempted to erase the double-digit deficit. Rallying late, IU closed in on the Wolfpack with a 15-0 run that cut the deficit down to 60-51 at the end of the third quarter. Coming within four after Cahill found fres­­hman Bre Wickware underneath, NC State got back on the board with one at the line to end the run before Buss made it a three point game with 6:02 with a pair at the charity stripe.

The two teams would trade buckets with 5:14 to play as Cahill kept Indiana within three (63-60) but North Carolina State’s 6-0 run stretched out their lead back to nine. Free throws were key for the Wolfpack down the stretch, as they hit 12-of-14 to help seal the victory.

NOTES

Junior guard Tyra Buss scored 38 points on the night and officially moved into the top 20 of all-time scoring. She now sits at 1,130 points for her career and 19th overall in career scoring.

Buss’s 38 points are a new career-high and the fourth-best performance in a single game in school history. She also tied her career-high with 10 field goals made and tied for the second-most free throws made in a single game (14).

Senior forward Jenn Anderson and senior guard Karlee McBride both made their first starts of the season on Thursday night

Senior guard Alexis Gassion scored 11 points on the night, the fifth time in seven games this season she has scored in double figures

Indiana is now 6-4 all-time in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games

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